PerreaultForever

No, but I'd keep him in the line up and just waive Caggula myself. Hayden's not great, but he fits into a bottom line better imo. I did too. I kind of like Murray on his wing for now too. Opens up a little more ice for Dylan and makes that line a bigger force. I think the Murray-Cozens-Okposo combo is a much better line than Cagguila-Cozens-Hinostroza was. We might see Borgen(and be annoyed). Made his season debut tonight and looked pretty good. Detroit and us are about the same imo. Neither will make the playoffs.

Well their rebuild seems to be on an accelerated curve so likely not good but they are speed oriented and we are better with that than physical tough checking so it's not impossible. Going to require a hot goalie game though like in Pittsburgh. Is Detroit now, perhaps what we are hoping to become next year? I suspect that's the hope/plan.

Well, Ottawa's been looking to unload Murray for a while so when we needed a contract to get up to the cap floor wouldn't that one have made more sense than Boychuk, if we had any interest in another goalie at all that is, which clearly they didn't. Personally don't think they will spend any extra money here on out at all.

Also shows you how much difference a great goalie can make. They are missing many key people from that team and some of their kids have taken the not that unusual step backwards.

That's what I've been noticing about Skinner too. More and more it looks like his big season was just luck. He doesn't aim his shots or pick his spots at all. Just turn and fire like a blind man. Useless. Mildly satisfying to see we are not that worst they are (or Arizona maybe). Best moment had to be Tage giving him the stare down after the goal following the hit. Enjoyed that. nice to win for a change. Even if they lost, more than we won.

trade them Skinner for Murray straight up. (no move clause I know, but if he'd agree). Only 2 years of a bad contract that way and a (slim) possibility of a reclamation cause goalies are weird and you never know. I know it won't happen.

lol, I'm obviously being facetious but the point holds that they are a really bad team and there is no excuse not to win this one. Even for a tank team.

I just don't want him to pull a Terry Murray and start trading off the capital he has acquired for veterans. We decided to tear it down and build with the draft, we have to stick to that now - this time.

I hear ya, and I'd like them to give him a proper chance (5 or 6 games actually playing) but I suppose that is why you have a farm team close to your city.

If they now flip the script and trade a high pick or prospect for a goalie I might be done caring. It'd be an admission of a total f up. I say wait until January and trade Bjork back to the Bruins for Ullmark. That seems about right for this team.

Montreal is horrible this year. If we can't win this one we may not win another all year.

Drafting has been horrible no question and we've traded picks away but we've also had talent that has idk done wrong? not developed? fallen off the path? not been developed? misused? call it whatever you like. ROR - Stanley Cup MVP and a team captain for example. Goaltending is the perennial issue here and there's old Lehner considered one of the top 10 in the league (ya I know, F that guy ) but still............ They even like Risto in Philly for some reason or other. If Eichel turns into McDavid playing with Vegas we're all going to need medication. idk, players come here and get worse almost never better. Draft picks underachieve. It's just fugazi.

Weren't they going to lose Vladar in the expansion draft so they traded him instead? Not sure. The better question would be why didn't KA give them a 3rd rounder for Vladar? We have a pretty good precedent in turning a Czech gaolie into a star after all.

So you're okay with it? You think it's what? a positive attitude?

In a way that might be true, but we also had so called talent that didn't get it done and lost their love and didn't play well while here and so on. On a team like this, as they're all kind of equal, that should also still send a message that you can sit if you have the wrong attitude. But we don't. We give the harder workers away for free (Lazar) and keep the floaters (Bjork). Neither is all that good, but the one with the right attitude is fitting in with a more talented team that likes him for his work habits and attitude. Just an example. Hell, Montour's playing with Florida. So was/is he talent? He sucked here. Now he's on a team undefeated at home. There's more to this than just we need more talent.

You could be right about that I don't really remember. You're probably right about it. I'm probably over reacting but I'm just sick and tired of float teams that don't care. I want to like this team so bad, but they just make it so hard to do.

Yup, and I've been saying it for years (and yes, I'm not the only one). The country club atmosphere started when the Pegulas arrived and the theme seemed to be pamper the players and they will want to be here and they will perform and it's never changed. The bar for performance on the ice is incredibly low. Kyle said a lot of the right things at the start of this season and it briefly felt like we were going to change the culture and re-instill some pride in the jersey (along with a sense of obligation to the fans) a thing that used to exist in Buffalo long ago, but this made me think that maybe it's not going to happen this time either.

Same old same old. We simply cannot play against solid defensive teams that drive the net with their physicality. It will be a long second half of the season. Some actual goaltending might have made it closer, but we were not in this game after about the first 5 minutes or so. Probably meaningless but slightly irritating observation, too much smiling on the bench after falling behind 4-1. Tanking going to result in teaching this next young core to be okay with losing like they did with the last young core? Hope not. Probably not a big thing, but it irritated me.

Oh you are going back further. You mean instead of the bridge deal? Possibly, but that changes everything maybe idk.

So this means Asplund gets the job of playing against Marchand? Hmmm.

I doubt 2, but 5 or thereabouts.

Right now, I wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres are thinking Danila Yurov.

No. Push for 2nd overall maybe, but not 1st. It's going to be Wright.

Just want to add this Peterka-Krebs-Quinn line is a fantasy idea that is unlikely to happen any time soon. I doubt very much they will all be ready or able at the same time. I suspect we see Quinn first. Maybe later this year. Peterka later unless injuries bring him in for an earlier look and Krebs, not yet, not sure when if ever. I don't like the idea of Zemgus-Cozens-Okposo. I'd rather see Cozens grow with better faster younger players. Eventually I see Cozens with Quinn, in the meantime it's unfortunate he doesn't have better wingers to play with.

So the Bruins can't score. They play good D but they are getting little from Hall and the other guys they picked up and basically have no scoring after the big line. So if you can shut down the perfection line you win. Trouble is last time we didn't shut down the perfection line so this game is on whoever plays against them. Bruins shouldn't be taking us lightly though as I'm sure Cassidy wasn't happy after the Calgary game. Wouldn't be surprised if they have done some line juggling for this one. Might come down to what we see out of Ullmark. We will definitely need better goaltending than we've seen last couple games to have a chance.